The Sun Belt Insider

The Sun Belt Insider is a un-official blog that covers the Sun Belt Conference in football and other sports that we choose. Here you will find the latest news surrounding the Sun Belt Conference, scores, highlights plus much more.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Hello and thanks for visiting us, I am proud to announce that I now have a new home for all your attention. Please take a minute to join us there now and in the future at www.sunbeltinsider.info. I look forward to see you over there, and continue our great friendship as I continue to bring you the best in Sun Belt Conference happenings.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Sun Belt get's a little tough on school departures and looking to move forward!

Sun Belt
Conference held its Annual Spring Meeting this week in Destin, Florida, Commissioner
Karl Benson and company went through a normal meeting with very little getting
accomplish in my view. Conference Athletic Directors, Coaches and Presidents
all participated in the annual meeting including new conference members Appalachian
State, Georgia Southern, New Mexico State, Idaho, Texas State, Georgia State
and UT-Arlington. Here are some of the items that were on the agenda, discussed
and came with a decision.

In basketball
the conference will play 20 games and the basketball tournament will feature
the standard No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7 and so on format for women, but a
double-bye format for men.

The conference
tournaments will move from Hot Springs, Ark., to New Orleans Arena in New Orleans,
LA, and the tournament formats will remain the same with the top eight teams in
the league advancing to the tournament. There is no divisional play - and the
tournament beginning with a No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 seed, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3
vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5 first round. It will remain that way on the women's
side for 2014.

In football
the Sun Belt Conference has decided to play a eight conference game schedule
beginning in 2014, with 11 playing members on the rooster if the conference decides
against adding a 12th program for now.

The Sun Belt
Conference also has released it new official logo and branding on Sunday for
the conference beginning July 1st. The new logo will be represented
by each of the 11 programs of the Sun Belt Conference, which I think is a great
logo. It could have been better but it certainly will work. The new logo is
located at the left of this post.

We also have
learned that the Sun Belt Conference has extended its TV contract with Cox
Sports and Comcast Sports Southeast for one year. Sun Belt Network will air
seven high-definition football broadcasts as part of a minimum of 39 broadcasts
that the network will air. We should expect to see more programming on ESPN 3
as usual and where I live we will be excluded from watching because we don’t
have these networks and we are in the South Alabama media market. UMM!

We all want
to know about who the Sun Belt Conference will add as a 12th team
and if so when. According to today’s press conference with Commissioner Karl
Benson and Conference President Jack Hawkins, the league will remain at 11
members for now. “There is no urgency to add another program, per Benson.” So
we will not see a 12th team for now, maybe and again maybe in the
future but no guarantee. “There was and
will continue to be ongoing discussion about national realignment and the
membership options for the Sun Belt,” said Benson. “However, for the time being
we are moving the conference forward with our membership as is. The most
important thing to come out of the meeting regarding membership was that our
institutions are committed to taking the Sun Belt to the next level. With our
recent additions and the strength of our current members, the pieces are
already in place for us to take the next step as a stronger conference.”

The Sun Belt
Conference also updated its by-laws in regards to program departures. Sun Belt
teams no longer allowed early departures a program must give at least 12 months’
notice of departure. According to Benson the Commissioner, the league also
changed it exit fee but did not release any info on how much that would be. The
12 month early departure notice is non-negotiable.

Commissioner
Benson also stated at the press conference that the $12 million dollars coming
from the new College Playoff System will offset the loss of not having a
conference title game.

In case you may
already have heard the rumors, the Sun Belt Conference may add an additional
bowl game in 2014 is still possible. The new bowl game is possible and could be
played in Little Rock, AR. This would give the SBC three bowls –tie ins, at
least the Commissioner is confident in this matter.

Now, that all
of this is over for now at least this season, we move on and wait to see what
the conference do to be proactive and not reactive. Commissioner Benson is the
leader of the Sun Belt Conference along with the Conference President and
neither has seemed to be in a proactive mode, except looking to remain a FBS
but not a proactive conference that is looking to go to another level. In many
ways some may argue they have and is, and I might agree to some. But there is a
debate on how and when.

In my
opinion, I would have never passed up the opportunity of adding a 12th
team to the league and I’m pretty sure many of you are agreeing with me right
now. A 12th team would add so much value to the league in creating a
conference championship game in football. Also would have helped the league
continue a two divisional play in all other sports such as basketball and
football. It would have added additional revenue to the league in a
championship standpoint for football. As we all know football is where the
money is.

The fans was
looking and hoping for this creation with the Sun Belt Conference. Oh, but no
one in the conference leadership is telling us the fans or media on why they
decided against adding a program such as Liberty. Thought I forgot-NO! They
rejected Liberty saying they don’t fit the Sun Belt Conference. We as fans still
want answers on that…and on why? I have a few but I would rather wait and let
them tell you since they lead and I follow if they ever decide to do so.

Other news
and decision from the Sun Belt Conference Meeting:

There was
some changes and new appointments made in the conference leadership panel. You
would be surprised at this – LOL.

According to
the SBC website, The Sun Belt Conference also made appointments to significant
leadership positions at the meeting. There were several key positions that had
terms expire or were vacated, filling these positions are:

Did you see
who is appointed to the Chair of Athletic Directors? – LOL Louisiana Lafayette
AD Scott Farmer. Scott Farmer is an AD in the Sun Belt that has acknowledged on
several occasions that he would like to take his programs to another conference
if possible. Basically he wants out of the Sun Belt Conference. And then you
have Dr. Nick J. Bruno appointed as the new Conference President – LOL I dare
comment on that one, only if you knew. What a joke SBC?

The Sun Belt
Conference developed a formula to distribute $600,000 in net revenue that was
produced from the Sun Belt Conference’s four bowl games in 2012. The revenue
will be distributed to the six football playing members eligible for end of
year revenue distribution – Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette,
Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Troy and Western Kentucky. Basically each
program will receive an estimated $100,000 in revenue from the bowl revenue.

BRANDING & NEW LOGO: The Sun Belt Conference having
unveiled a new logo and branding campaign, the league has committed $50,000 to
each institution to help implement the new logo for the upcoming academic year.

CONFERENCE
CHAMPIONSHIPS: The following sites were selected to host Sun Belt
Conference Championships for 2013-14:

Women’s Golf – Steelwood Country Club, Loxley, Ala.

Men’s Golf – Grand Bear Golf Course, Saucier, Miss.

Men’s and Women’s Tennis – City Park Tennis Center, New
Orleans, La.

The following sites were selected to host Sun Belt
Conference Championships for 2014-15:

Cross Country – South Alabama, Mobile, Ala.

Soccer – South Alabama, Mobile, Ala.

Volleyball – Texas State, San Marcos, Texas

Outdoor Track and Field – Louisiana-Lafayette, Lafayette,
La.

Softball – Texas State, San Marcos, Texas

Baseball – Troy, Troy, Ala.

Don’t anyone
ever get wrong on this, I love the Sun Belt Conference and I am a big fan of
the conference. I just want the conference to be a better conference for its
fan and become the best conference in the new group of five. I would love to
see this conference offer its members more in revenue and its fans a football
championship game. It would help recruiting and add additional revenue to the
league.

That is it for now on Spring Meetings for the Sun Belt
Conference, if anything else develops I will be sure to inform you. Moving on
now I will be releasing my Pre-Season Insider – All Sun Belt Team next month,
along with my player watch list plus much more stay tuned.

Monday, May 20, 2013

According to
the Troy Messenger Wilson Van Hooser is likey to join the Troy Trojans maybe
this week. According the Troy Messenger in Troy, the Baton Rouge Advocate first
reported that Van Hooser would be transferring.

Van Hooser
is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and is looking to transfer back home to be
closer to his mom. Tulane coaches has reached out to both Troy and Auburn.

Van Hooser
said he need to make a big decision. In 2011 Hooser caught 36 passes for 487
yards and four scores.

After
signing and playing briefly with the top SEC school, Alabama wide receiver Danny
Woodson will transfer to South Alabama.

After being
suspended for team rules, the Mobile native and former four star Leflore High
School standout is returning home to play for South Alabama Jaguars. The Jaguars
coach Joey Jones has confirmed the move during Sun Belt spring meetings. He
red shirted his freshman season in 2011 and must sit out a year to satisfy NCAA
transfer rules. Woodson has signed a grant-in-aid with South Alabama and will
have two seasons of eligibility remaining when he becomes eligible to play.

Woodson6’1, 195 lbs is the son of Danny
Woodson Sr., who played quarterback at Alabama from 1990-91. Fresh out of High
School Woodson was recruited by Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi,
Kentucky and Texas Tech.

We wish him
well at South Alabama and welcome back home to Mobile, Alabama.

The Sun Belt
Conference is convening their annual spring meeting in Destin, FL full of
participation and excitement by current and future members.

As the
meetings convene all members are present along with newly added members in
South Alabama, UL-Monroe, UL-Lafayette, Arkansas State, Troy, UALR, UT-Arlington,
Georgia State, Texas State and recently added members New Mexico State, Idaho, Georgia
Southern and Appalachian State. All members are expected to discuss a wide
range of items during this annual meeting in Destin.

Here are
some of the important items up for discussion by our league Presidents, Athletic
Directors and Coaches. Many items may not get settle during this meeting, but
it will put the members in a lead on where they would like to go.

At the top
of the list of items will be conference membership and discussions on whether
to add another school to the conference after Western Kentucky decided to leave
for CUSA so the league can get to 12 football-playing teams and create two
divisions and a football championship game beginning in 2014 or 2015.

Conference
Commissioner Karl Benson has made it known to the media that ideally we'd like
to get back to the 12 but it's not critical that we do so. We want to make sure
that if we add a school that it is the right school and has the right
characteristics and is the right match for the Sun Belt. Who could that possibly
be? There are rumors that several schools could be considered in James Madison,
Liberty, MO State, Youngstown State, Lamar, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston
State. Many have placed JMU and Liberty
at the top of the list, but I am not so sure about that, because the league has
sent out several requests for possible membership into the league to several
schools and has since been rejected. This is an interesting discussion among
league members and the Commissioner, we should just continue to wait and see
what happens over the next couple of days.

Other items
up for discussion are the number of conference games to be played in football
and basketball, Revenue opportunities and TV contracts will also be discussed,
as will a variety of other items.With
all of these items up for discussion during this meeting, there is no doubt
that the Sun Belt is looking to move forward and become a better competitive conference.

In football the
conference will discuss and determine whether they will play eight or nine conference
games beginning in 2014 and in basketball they will discuss whether they will
play 16, 18 or 20 games.

The conference
has important items on their agenda, items that needs to be addressed and acted
upon. Two of the most important are the conference adding another member, revenue
and TV contracts. Surely the conference and its member needs more revenue and deserve
more revenue to competitive.

The
conference will hold its media day on Wednesday at the conclusion of its Annual
Spring Meeting in Destin, FL. I will continue to bring you update information
as it becomes available. STAY TUNED!

The spring
meetings are in full swing for the Sun Belt Conference in Destin, FL, and they
began the meetings in the Sun Shine State with bright colors. The Sun Belt
Conference unveiled their new logo that will represent a new Sun Belt.

Sun Belt Conference New Logo

Beginning
June 1, 2013 the SBC will have a new logo as they welcome several new teams to
the conference and will be made up of nearly a new look of members after
the 2013 season. Georgia State, Texas State, Texas-Arlington will join in all
sports on July 1st, and South Alabama football program will add
their new fledging football program to the Sun Belt Conference as a full
member. Sun Belt Conference will welcome New Mexico State, Georgia Southern,
Idaho and Appalachian State in 2014.

"The
unveiling of our new logo comes after months of review of how we wanted to
express the 'new' Sun Belt Conference," Commissioner Karl Benson said in a
press release. "It is a very exciting chance for us to display the
opportunity and optimism that exists in the Sun Belt Conference as we move
forward."

The Sun Belt Conference is now empowered by a new brand
identity that capitalizes on 4 key principles (AMBITIOUS, AUTHENTIC, LOYAL, and
ADVENTUROUS). In addition, a new identity will represent the reinvigoration of
the Sun Belt Conference brand through several points of uniqueness:

1. The chosen identity highlights the sun as a powerful and iconic expression for the conference that suggests unity, strength, promise and ambition.

2. The individual parts of the icon combine to create a unified whole and represent strength in togetherness; a foundational value at the core of the Sun Belt Conference brand.

3. The band of blue across the diameter of the icon symbolizes the Sun “Belt” region, while dually creating the feeling of a sun breaking the horizon at the dawn of a new day.

The Sun Belt Conference as unveil their new motto: "Together We Rise"

We all are hoping for a brighter future in the
Sun Belt Conference as we move forward. As the spring meetings continue through
media day Wednesday, I will continue to keep you informed and bring you all the
updates.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

On this past
week we learned that the New Orleans R & L Carriers Bowl will be played on December
21, 2013 at 8:00pm CST at the New Orleans Mercedes – Benz Superdome. We also
learned that the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Alabama has changed its name
slightly. The bowl is now the GoDaddy Bowl and it will be played on Jan. 5,
2014 a Sunday in Mobile, Alabama at Ladd Pebbles Stadium.

The New
Orleans Bowl pits teams from Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA and the GoDaddy
Bowl pits teams from the Sun Belt Conference and Mid-American Conference.

James Madison, Liberty, Missouri State, Jacksonville St, Lamar and Sam Houston State are still possible candidates for Sun Belt expansion!

The
conference that lost 4 members and will be losing one more next summer, will be
meeting during the Annual spring meeting beginning Sunday in Destin, Florida.
The meeting will last thru Wednesday and is expected be centered on conference
expansion.

We all know that Florida International, Florida Atlantic,
North Texas and Middle Tennessee have all left the Sun Belt Conference for
Conference USA for the upcoming season. Not only the four have exited the Sun
Belt, but Western Kentucky joins them in a brand new home in CUSA as well. They
said they were looking for a better conference with more exposure and revenue.
Maybe CUSA offers that to them and others.

Well I want to give my input on all of this conference
realignment and the positions that the Sun Belt Conference has already taken
and should consider on this issue. After the departure of the Sun Belt four,
they went out and search and added four additional members. Two of those four
additions are FCS powerhouses (Appalachian State & Georgia Southern) that
will certainly add to the Sun Belt profile and membership, and two of the
programs are former members of the conference (New Mexico State & Idaho)
that will be independents this season only after being without a conference
when the WAC decided to abandon football. The same conference that commissioner
Karl Benson formerly headed before coming to the Sun Belt Conference.

Now that
Western Kentucky is leaving and joining the other Sun Belt teams in CUSA, the
Sun Belt Conference is looking to find a replacement to get back to their ultimate
and dream goal of 12 all sports teams. The SBC has a big task in finding that
right fit to fill that open spot to get to 12 football members to stage a conference
football championship game as they head into the new Football Championship
Playoffs as a FBS member. The question is who will that 12th team be
and how soon will they be added?

Let’s forget
geographic footprint now that the Sun Belt Conference has went outside of that
to add new programs early this year in New Mexico State and Idaho way out west,
and you have Appalachian State up in North Carolina. But there are several
other programs that could be considered for expansion to get to that magic
number of 12 that is not in the footprint that the Sun Belt Conference wishes
to remain in. Missouri State, Liberty
and James Madison are all outside of the geographic footprint and remain
possible candidates.

Over the
past couple of days and weeks all I been hearing is programs rejecting the Sun
Belt Conference offers and conversations on becoming a member of the Sun Belt
Conference. And then I learn that there are programs inside the conference that
are rejecting programs that can possibly be a benefit for the Sun Belt
Conference and help improve the conference profile.

Rejecting a
program over resources, finances and religion shouldn’t be the answer to growth
and expansion consideration. Why would you do that when you are about to bottom
out as the WAC did and you have the same commissioner that lead the WAC now
leading the Sun Belt? When will the bold leadership come forth and put politics
aside for name sake? Don’t start to assume so early and accuse me of saying
that our Commissioner has poor leadership skills and abilities. I believe he
can get the job done, if he get the conference AD’s and presidents on board of
this changing idea of conference realignment. All this conference shuffling is
real and programs are looking for what’s best for them and if you don’t provide
that, they will leave you.

James Madison
(JMU) has been long rumor to be a possible replacement for Western Kentucky,
but JMU has decided to go with a consultant to see whether a move to the FBS is
reasonable and if so what conference is the best possible fit for their
programs. But we all know that Old Dominion, who has just been added to CUSA,
is lobbying for JMU to be a part of CUSA, Old Dominion and JMU are long time
rivals and want that to continue. So if JMU are waiting on CUSA move to get to
16 teams that possible would be added, why would the Sun Belt Conference wait
on JMU?

There are
other programs out there that could be seriously considered and added to the
Sun Belt Conference so that the conference can move forward and continue to
work to become the best of the group of five. Prolonging the matter of adding
another program is prolonging progress. Several years ago many doubted that many
of the current Sun Belt Conference members would be where they are today
winning games, participating in bowl games and defeating BCS teams but they did
it and now they are received by other conferences. The same will happen when
you add other programs. Just have to prove the nay sayers wrong.

Liberty has
made it known over the last couple of years that they are FBS ready and they
are ready to make the move up. Liberty has been in talks with the Sun Belt
Conference lately but no one really knows the outcome, besides we find out that
several programs in the Sun Belt Conference is possibly rejecting Liberty. Why,
your guess is better than mind right now? Some indications are that SBC members
are rejecting Liberty because of resources and finances. How silly could that
be, when you have a conference that rank last in conference revenue? Liberty is
a program that has what the SBC needs, and should be glad to consider them as a
new member. Liberty does bring finances, a renovated football stadium and a TV
network. Something Sun Belt programs barely offer.

The Sun Belt
Conference only pays out roughly $40,000 in revenue to its current members. Really!
And you wonder why programs are leaving to go get approx $1 million or more in
another conference. What can $40,000 do for a FBS program in this day? LOL!
Then you only have two bowl tie-ins, and have three or four teams being bowl
eligible for the post season, where do you send them when you don’t have any
contractual bowls? Commissioner Benson says they are working to add at least
one more bowl possibly two in 2014. It’s going to take more than that; the Sun
Belt Conference is going to have to increase their conference profile, revenue
and TV contract. Members are looking for more exposure and more money as a FBS
member, that’s the benefit of being a FBS member right? How can you attract new
members and star athletes if your conference is not attractive? Teams are
looking for better than ESPN3 and CSS, LOL.
Why not go out a get more television contracts with other networks such
as the new FOX Sports Network, CBS Network and or NBC Sports Networks. Those
networks are carried over several distributors, where I live in the North
Mobile area, we can’t even see CSS programming but we have a Sun Belt
Conference team. - LOL. ESPN and Comcast
is not the only sports network around anymore. The revenue is out there, just
have to go and get it.

Missouri
State is another program that could be consider and believed to wanting in a
FBS conference, even Jacksonville State, Lamar and Sam Houston State.

The wise
move that the Sun Belt Conference could make at this time is to add two more
programs it want hurt much more than help. It would put the conference in a
position to overcome all this conference realignment and settle the dust among
the group of five just in case the dust come dusting up again in the near
future. What I mean is, if CUSA decides to go to 16 teams and add one from the
SBC and add JMU, the Sun Belt Conference will be in a position to still have 12
members. Why? Because they has one extra member that will help balance the
conference if the dust come dusting up again.
Liberty and Missouri State would be the two that I would go after or
even Lamar or Sam Houston State to get a stronger presence in Texas.

Waiting on
the chickens will cause you to starve; you have to go get them so you can eat. We
will wait to possibly Tuesday to see if anything happens with his issue as the
Sun Belt Conference meet in Destin, FL.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

University of South Alabama Athletics Director has confirmed Demetre Baker release.

A surprise to
me and a surprise too many others, that a star running back that transferred to
South Alabama from the University of Georgia name Demetre Baker wants his
transfer papers now, so he can transfer away from South Alabama.

RB Demetre Baker

Just as when
South Alabama Jaguars enter into the Football Bowl Subdivision as a full fledge
member, and looking for a winning season on the FBS level find themselves
losing a quality player. In my interview
with Demetre Baker on today, he claims the school coaches refuse to talk to him
and explain what he did wrong to get voted off the team. Baker has been allegedly
voted off the South Alabama Jaguars team by his fellow senior team mates for being
late for team meetings. It’s not confirmed on how many meetings Baker missed.

This news
comes as a surprise when I first learned about it over social media. It surprises many that all this has been keep a secret by the University and school officials. Demetre Baker commented on his (Facebook)
social media page that “All he wants is his transfer papers!” Baker has helped
the South Alabama Jaguars when they didn’t have any help in the key running
back position. Now he can’t get an answer from any of the coaches or staff at
South Alabama.

Demetre
Baker has been cut from the team for about three weeks now; Baker says he been
cut after being voted off by fellow team mates for being late for team meetings,
says he did participate in spring drills and practices after being classified
as ineligible after failing two classes in the fall. Not only has he been cut from the team, Baker
says he has been banned some offices and campus facilities.

"Mr. Baker is entitled to his own opinion and through a press on Monday, Mr. Baker has been released from the team. We handle each athlete according to the NCAA guidelines, said Dr. Erdmann".

I asked
Baker did he apologize for his team violation of missing team meetings. Baker
replied “Yes I did, and they seem to not listen or take into consideration my
apology.” Baker future explained to me that he believes that decision to cut
him from the team was a personal decision and discrimination toward him. Baker wants to remain with the team and help
the team get to where they would like to go and be champions. However, Baker
claims that he is not getting any cooperation from school officials, coaches
and staff. Baker insists that if he can’t get honest answers, then all he wants
is his papers to transfer with his scholarship.

Baker agrees
that’s he has committed some mistakes, but not any that is major to where he embarrassed
his team or school or deserves to be voted off the team. Baker also claims that
a blogger published some lies about him and his thoughts about the team, which
Baker claims is not true. Baker says he believes that may also have played a
part in all of this confusion.

After
talking with Baker about his dismissal from the team; your Insider found out
some more surprisely news. Baker claims that South Alabama current football
team may not meet NCAA (APR) requirements. Demetre claims that South Alabama is
having a bad spring semester right now and it’s not funny. Baker said the
current team is currently failing their classes. Baker said South Alabama can’t
bring any new recruits and freshmen to the school if they don’t meet their
APR. After speaking with Dr. Erdmann on Thursday, May 2, 2013, Mr. Erdmann failed to confirm or deny that that program will or will not meet their APR requirements. "We will not know the current APR for about another 5 to 6 months, said Erdmann."

After revealing
this news, I asked Baker does this play into the 4-star recruit Blanchard that
is also a running back and signed with South Alabama in February coming to
South in the fall. He said sure, he believes that the coaches got rid of him so
they can have a scholarship to give to Blanchard.

Baker wants
his release papers, but claims the school will not give them to him. Baker said
that he will try again and also meet with other school officials before taking
the matter to the NCAA. Baker said he loves his team, and there is nothing that
he has against his school, Baker wants to play for the Jaguars if they allow
him to do so. Demetre Baker said if not, he is ready to move on. Before coming to South Alabama, Baker says he had offers from Arkansas State, Texas A&M, North Alabama and a few others. According to Dr. Erdmann the AD at South Alabama says that Mr. Baker release will be issued once a request has been received in writing.

Stay tune
for more on this matter, Baker will be live this week for a interview on my show “The
Edge” where we will get more in dept about his transfer and dismissal from
South Alabama football program. You will be surprise on what else he has to say
and what is or may have happen with the team mates and program.

This is not
the first report of some sort of happening of this nature at South Alabama.
Several people that wish to remain anonymous believe the school to be racist toward African Americans. What do you
think of this? Let us know and for your thoughts are important.